Cambodian Asia-Europe dance co-production tours Europe

Amrita Performing Arts from Cambodia announces the upcoming European tour of Crack – a work of contemporary dance by German choreographer Arco Renz produced in collaboration with Kobalt Works and Caravan Production, Belgium. http://vimeo.com/caravanproduction/arcorenzcracktrailer This tour to Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland follows two successful performances last month at the Indonesian Dance Festival and in Phnom Penh. The original production was commissioned by the Singapore Arts Festival with support from the Goethe-Institut and the Flemish Authorities – International Projects. Six young dancers from Phnom Penh on a large reflecting floor. They radiate an enormous power and drive. In an effervescent dance performance with abstract, physical resources, they break open the restrictions of long-term repression in Cambodia in the time of the Khmerrouge. Crack explicitly signifies a positive and forward movement. The necessity of this, and therefore of the show, is something that is strongly felt by this new generation of performers. To produce this elegant and intense choreography, the Belgian Arco Renz closely co-operated with Cambodian dancers, who have all received training in classical dance. He translates their experience of life in Cambodia into variables of time, space and physical energy. Their urge for freedom and their quest for integration in this complex world are tangible. By means of modern dance and music composed specifically for this performance, Crack shows how a country in the process of transition deals with the demands of this age. Performances take place at: Tanz Im August, Berlin, Germany: August 18 & 19 Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, The Netherlands: August 21 & 22 Theaterspektakel, Zurich, Switzerland: August 25 & 26 Thumbnail image - Photographer: Anders Jiras